Unplugged: Don Garber on MLS’s Canadian expansion

Major League Soccer will add a second Canadian team this season with the Vancouver Whitecaps scheduled to make their debut Saturday against Toronto FC. The Montreal Impact will join the league next season. MLS commissioner Don Garber is hoping the Canadian franchises will help increase the popularity of the league across the country. He spoke to Mark Masters about the popularity of soccer north of the border and the major issues facing his league.

How strong is the MLS brand in Canada?
It’s growing. Certainly in Toronto and Vancouver it is becoming stronger and stronger every day and I’m sure we’ll be able to say the same thing about Montreal next year. But today the interest is more regional than national and our goal is to connect the dots between the clubs and turn it into a national fan base. But it’s very early. We only started in Toronto in 2007. We are competing against leagues like the CFL and the NHL that have been embedded in the community and sports culture for 100 years.

What is the biggest challenge facing MLS?
Like all sports leagues we’re dealing with a very competitive environment, particularly for the MLS in Canada where we are the new kids on the block. We are working hard to increase our overall fan base and get more deeply connected with soccer fans. Our biggest goal is to create a real soccer nation in Canada. We’re trying to build a local affiliation that spreads into national support for Major League Soccer.

Outside of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are there any other Canadian markets on your radar in terms of expansion?
Not specifically, no. Right now we’re just very focused on the launch of the Whitecaps this year and the eventual launch of the Impact in 2012.

Seattle entered the league in 2009 and Portland will debut alongside Vancouver this year. You have spoken about the importance of creating a rivalry between the teams. Why is this significant?
Passionate rivalries drive the soccer culture in most parts of the world and we’re trying to replicate that in the U.S. and Canada and I think we’ll see that really come to life in the Pacific Northwest.

But we scheduled the first game for the Whitecaps against Toronto not against Seattle or Portland, because in addition to regional rivals we’re also looking to create a rivalry among the Canadian teams.

Another key issue facing the league is the need to get soccer-specific stadiums built in each market. How are things progressing in that regard?
When the league was founded, we had great owners and yet we were playing in large NFL stadiums. And that plan wasn’t working and we needed to switch and start building soccer stadiums, and that helped us create the momentum we’ve been able to ride to today. It’s also about building a stadium in the right location. Toronto’s BMO Field was the first stadium we had that, in essence, proved downtown stadiums really work and can provide fans an opportunity to go from work, or go from a local pub, and walk or take a short subway ride right to the stadium. And that’s been replicated in Seattle and will be replicated again in Portland and New York. There are so many great facilities that are in the communities where our fans live and work. That’s become a newer-stadium model for the league.